28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

It's strange to find that every new instalment in what is now a fine horror franchise comes loaded with worry and curiosity about where things are going next. I was relieved when I ended up enjoying 28 Years Later as much as I did, but that wild ending had me wondering about how the next instalment would be handled. And then finding out that it was being directed by Nia DaCosta made me uneasy. I like DaCosta, I always want her to do well since she did such great work with Candyman, but "The Bone Temple" seemed to be moving further into dark territory that was also quintessentially British.  

Whether or not DaCosta knew about every disturbing detail in her own movie, and I would hope that writer Alex Garland gave her a primer on one or two key elements, she proves to be a fantastic choice to helm this middle section of what looks set to be quite a brilliant and intriguing horror trilogy. It's already two for two at this point. Now I have worry and curiosity about how the final part will play out.

For those wanting a very brief plot summary, as long as you've seen the previous film, we rejoin this dangerous world as young Spike (Alfie Williams) is being initiated into the gang of Jimmys that saved him at the end of the last film. The leader is Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), and they are on a mission to serve Old Nick. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) is still tending to his ossuarium, and he's also hoping to find a way to communicate with, and perhaps even cure, the infected alpha known as Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Kelson and Crystal have very different ways of dealing with the world around them, but fate may bring them together in a way that might force them to find some common ground.

If you enjoyed both Williams and Fiennes in the previous movie then you're going to find their performances equally enjoyable here, although Fiennes gets to do a bit more than the younger cast member. It's arguably O'Connell who steals the show though, embodying absolute evil with a smile and a winning way with words . . . and a real affinity for the antics of the Teletubbies, but Lewis-Parry continues to cast a hell of a large shadow in the role of Samson, particularly when in numerous scenes that have him interacting with Fiennes. Nobody disappoints, but the others worth highlighting are Emma Laird and Erin Kellyman, both standing out as the two female members of the Jimmy gang (named Jimmima and Jimmy Ink, respectively).

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is two films perfectly intertwined. One is a study of evil, and also a look at how people working together can overcome the greatest obstacles. The other is a full-blooded selection of horror movie moments, with arteries cut, flesh torn, and innocent people dragged into sadistic games. And then it stops to deliver a show-stopping sequence that makes incredible use of a very well-known Iron Maiden song.

I cannot think of anyone being disappointed by this if they made it all the way through the previous film. DaCosta may struggle to put her stamp all over this, but there are choices and flourishes that are more in line with her aesthetic than the standard look of the series. It's commendable that she also maintains a consistency that allows the whole thing to feel like a natural extension of the unfolding storyline though.

I may have an obvious bias here. I enjoy every single entry in this film series. The fact that these new films have gone from being unnecessary titles that nobody seemed to want to important and fresh ways to examine the human spirit and expand the lore of the infected is incredible. And there are now three features that could easily be in contention whenever the time comes to pick an outright best film in the series. I will remain worried and curious until the third/final film is released, but that's just habit at this point. All of the evidence so far assures me that I should be optimistic and excited.

9/10

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The Marvels (2023)

I have spent most of the last week or so finally getting around to watching Ms. Marvel, the TV show that gave us a 6-episode storyline introducing viewers to Kamala Khan AKA the titular Ms. Marvel (played by Iman Vellani). That's why I am now, FINALLY, getting around to seeing The Marvels. I think I'm almost up to date on my official Marvel entertainment, with only Secret Invasion and season 2 of Loki left to catch up on, but I have to say that it's odd diving back into the MCU after such a fairly extended hiatus. I didn't remember exactly who was who, in terms of enemies and villains, I wasn't sure if there was other stuff I should have watched before this, and there was no feeling of this being an essential piece of a much bigger picture. It was a bit of fun though.

Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn, the main villain of the piece. She is the leader of a race who saw their planet effectively sentenced to death by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Dar-Benn wants revenge, and her chance comes along when Captain Marvel is stuck with a confusing problem that sees her often swapping places with young Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). It seems that using their powers somehow brings about the switcheroo, and all three need to learn to turn the potential negative into a positive if they want to stop Dar-Benn and co. from destroying the ones they love. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is also on hand to help, but he's still much more grounded and vulnerable than the superheroes he tries to advise. 

The first half, maybe even the first two thirds, of The Marvels is good fun. The entanglement of powers causing the characters to literally crash into different environments is enjoyably hectic, the dialogue between the main characters (and also the bemused members of Khan's family) is enjoyable, and everything feels enjoyably lightweight, with no need to focus on any potential Earth-destroying threat. Then you get to the third act, which has to focus on a potential Earth-destroying threat, and it becomes sadly tiresome. That's without even mentioning the strange scenes set on a planet where everyone tends to sing instead of just speaking in a normal cadence (unless they're . . . bi-lingual).

Larson continues to cut a fine figure as arguably the most powerful superhero in the galaxy, and she is always helped by having her serious nature juxtaposed alongside some more light-hearted people around her. Parris is very good with what she has to do, although she feels ultimately short-changed by a fairly rushed journey as she makes various discoveries on the way to a final scene that once again serves as a reminder of just how often Marvel wants to have its cake and eat it. Vellani is the one who makes this all worthwhile though, a fantastic bundle of nervous energy and cute awkwardness, she is as good here as she was in her TV show, and the film does well to ensure that she isn't sidelined when it comes to action sequences featuring our main trio. Jackson does his Nick Fury schtick as well as ever, and Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh are great fun as the other Khans who end up dragged into the middle of the action. Ashton is stuck playing a disappointingly predictable villain, and you also get a few cameos from characters that, well . . . just don't pack the punch they may have a few years ago.

Highlights include the music by Laura Karpman, some fine editing that is showcased in a hugely entertaining montage/training sequence, and more ridiculous fun with Flerkens.

I'm a big fan of director Nia DaCosta, and love the fact that she also worked on the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, but there's definitely a feeling that she was handed a poisoned chalice with this gig. The MCU was on a downturn, Captain Marvel is one character who seems to be a lightning rod for crybaby fan-boys all around the globe, and there didn't seem to be any cohesive vision at this time for wherever the MCU went next. This had the misfortune of feeling like a place-holder, a disposable bit of fun. But that place-holder just happened to cost over $350M, which meant that it really should have delivered a bit more.

6/10

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Candyman (2021)

There are two things associated with this latest working of the Candyman mythos that can provide a lot of irritation and/or amusement. First, the amount of people that keep referring to it as a bloody Jordan Peele film, when it was directed by, and co-written by Nia DaCosta (ironically . . . say her name, and remember it). Peele also worked on the screenplay, and his name as producer most probably helped the studio get behind this, but the ignorance/laziness of people wrongly crediting Peele, whether they love or hate the movie, is astonishing. Not the first time, of course (remember "Eli Roth's" Aftershock, or poor Henry Selick so often being forgotten as the actual director of The Nightmare Before Christmas?), and it won't be the last, but if the past few years have taught us anything it is, surely, the importance of correcting inaccuracies and misinformation. The other main thing that you should choose to just roll your eyes it, well, it's the amount of people complaining about the content of this film, either trying to call it racist, or complaining about it being "too woke", as if the original films weren't exploring the racially-charged mistreatment and abuse of a black man, the social climate and systemic issues that bundled African Americans together in one small area where they could be left to their own devices, gentrification, and the power that can be gained by examining something in the open that has been left to fester for so long behind closed doors.

Anyway, let's get to the film itself, a continuation of the story delivered to audiences in the original film. This time the main characters are an artist, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and his successful partner, Brianna (Teyonah Parris). Struggling to find his way back to anything like his previous form, to put it mildly, Anthony finds his imagination fired up when he bumps into William Burke (Colman Domingo), a man who confirms the tale of Candyman, and the subsequent incident that ended with a stolen baby being returned and the fiery death of Helen Lyle. Anthony creates a new selection of work, based around the phrase "say his name", and starts a chain of events that could drastically affect his future, while also forcing him to find out a bit more about his past.

From the very first seconds of Candyman starting, the focus of this film is crystal clear. Much like the first film, it's about exposing something that has been kept in the dark for too long. This is the perfect way to craft a sequel to a well-loved modern horror classic, despite the fact that some people will just want more of the thing they enjoyed most the first time around. You still have commentary on gentrification, you still have the amusing dissection of art and culture from people acting smug and superior while living outwith the main sphere of influence that helped to create that art and culture, and you have a study of an urban legend, and how it can be reshaped and turned into something better or worse over time. You also get a look at the ongoing problem of police brutality, something strongly underlined by the whole "say his name" mantra that runs through the whole film.

DaCosta doesn't go for many easy scares, but they're very well done when she does. She instead creates a growing atmosphere of unease, emulating the original film with a blend of fear of the boogeyman and fear of very real problems afflicting some of the main characters. The script, co-written by herself, Peele, and Win Rosenfeld, is smart, layered, and pretty much a textbook example of how to respect an original work while not feeling the need to slavishly replicate everything it did. There are mirrors, and other reflective surfaces, everywhere, and so many shots are framed to allow viewers to consider everywhere a danger could be lurking.

Abdul-Mateen II is a fantastic lead, someone charismatic enough to make it easier to stick alongside him as his journey takes him further and further away from the person he once was, and Parris does well with a character who is allowed to react naturally to someone who changed into what could be a very dangerous presence. Domingo is fine, but ends up overacting slightly in the third act, and Vanessa Williams reprises her role from the 1992 film. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Kyle Kaminsky help to lighten things up a bit, playing Brianna's brother, Troy, and his boyfriend, Grady, respectively. Brian King, Miriam Moss, and Rebecca Spence play people who may well say "Candyman" five times while looking in a mirror, and the inclusion of Tony Todd will surely keep fans happy.

Is it a flawless masterpiece? As is the case with the majority of movies released throughout time, no. But it's easily one of the best mainstream horror movies I can think of in recent years, and it's a thought-provoking, and often beautiful (I didn't even mention the backstories told in shadow puppet form), piece of work. It also doesn't forget that people will want a hook-handed "boogeyman" to turn some victims into a mass of blood and gore. I would definitely be interested in seeing what could happen in a sequel to this, and I am very keen to see what comes next from DaCosta (say her name).

8/10

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